HUNTED

Cassius left after hearing Aila's thoughts. She had a few plans up her sleeve, each falling under if the first plan, or second plan or third did not work. He admired her for such a young Queen; he did not expect much when he first laid eyes on her. 

But this also meant he had to change his plans and rescue a pathetic human before he could take her half willingly and going through with the rest of his plan. The hunters were also becoming bothersome, and he needed her stronger to become what she was meant to be. What Amelia had planned for her bloodline to be.

He zipped past some trees, his feet barely touching the wet, muddy ground as his feet were too quick landing on the soil before lifting up again in his supernatural sprint. His mind was running with him; a thousand thoughts a minute, plans, schemes and things he had learnt over the last few days drummed through his mind. Cassius could slow his mind down if he wished, but he would be with the hunters in the mountains soon, and so he let it run its course. 

After he initially left Aila with the pack, he stayed to observe the aftermath of such an event when the hunters were there last time. The blood in the air was so strong, he thought he would cave into his urges and feed, but he was stronger than most and wouldn't stoop so low as to feed off a hunter or a werewolf. His tastes were more refined than that. The werewolves he drank from last time left such a disgusting taste in his mouth, he had to feed elsewhere after.

Cassius had been staying on the pack territory for days. He found a cave that smelt unusually like Aila mixed with another scent. Cassius guessed she had stayed there the night he met her.

In that time of the pack mourning, he watched from a distance. He saw the two hunters, Clint and Mase, camping nearby along with the hunters lying in wait outside of the pack's territory. He knew the children were missing, but like how the hunters were using them as a tool to get Aila, he also used the hunters and the children as a means to help himself. 

Cassius used his time smartly and read the mind of the hunter's Clint and Mase. After one minute of reading Mase's, he found the man to be useless. However, with Clint, he considered the idea of using the psycho to his benefit, but that quickly left his mind when Clint started visualising cutting a blade into Aila's skin. He was not a man to be easily manipulated. He knew once he left them that they would not do anything until after the funeral, and so he left them swiftly without sinking his fangs into them.

When he left the estate, and the pack's territory, that was when he saw the hunters. But, he knew their plans and passed them by so he could go back to his penthouse a few hours away and dress for the occasion. He liked to look his best, no matter what. 

The pack's territory was the biggest, even compared to his kingdom and the other Alpha King's pack territory. This was magnificent. Even past the estate and the acres of land Aila had, the mountains, lakes, other villages, towns and cities nearby were run by them. 

Unlike Aila, who was still learning about her pack, Cassius knew a lot more. He knew the clubs and bars they owned, the shops, the restaurants, hotels, everything in their territory was owned by the Silver Crescent pack. Damon Steel and now, Aila Cross. Although, technically, it was hers before it was ever Damon's. If they weren't mates, their story would be very different, and there would be more than one war on her hands. 

But.. he grimaced; they were mates. Which may make what he wanted to do harder. Although, Amelia was the first to prove in history that mates weren't everything. 

Cassius shook his head again; he was going off track. The image of Aila in front of the lake surrounded by the hunters next to Silas flashed across his mind. And worry filled his chest at leaving her.

Aila is a Cross. She is fine!

He pushed his thoughts aside as he jumped and landed elegantly on top of the highest tree trunk near the four hunters surrounding the van. His mind switched into one of a predator. His lips curved into a smirk as he leaned away from the tree, only holding on by one hand. 

Should I play with them or get rid of them quickly? 

Cassius tilted his head one way and then the other. Sighing, he knew already he couldn't have his fun. With those thoughts ingrained in his mind, he leapt off the tree and arrived next to the first hunter. Grabbing him by the head, he jolted his hands and snapped his neck with a sickening crunch before the man knew what was even happening to him. 

Without glancing at the body falling to the ground, he punched the next guy in the face, again hearing a crunching sound but from his skull breaking under his steely hand. He died within seconds before he landed on his back a few feet away. Cassius jumped over the roof of the van, and the remaining two knew something was wrong and blindly started spraying bullets with their AK47s. Cassius rolled his eyes. Gone were the days of sword fights where there was honour in a kill, and now he fought goons who clung onto their guns like frightened children. 

More like killed the goons. They had no chance. They didn't even know where he was; he was just a blur moving too quickly before them. Cassius landed on top of one of them and bit his fangs into his neck before ripping a lump of flesh away, slicing open the carotid artery, his favourite to drink from. But it also meant an agonising death for him. 

Cassius shrugged and side flipped off the hunter, who fell to the ground clutching at his neck that squirted with blood. He spun on his heel and dodged a bullet the last hunter tried to shoot him with. It would never kill him, but he was wearing a limited edition Armani suit, and it would mean buying a new one. Money was no issue, but it was his favourite, and there were only three others in the world.

His mind was consumed with buying the remaining suits or just finding the designer to create more for him while he grabbed the hunters gun and flew it to the ground before grinning evilly at him, showing him his fangs. The man's face paled at the realisation of what he was. Cassius was delighted in his reaction and plunged his hand into the man's chest, grabbing onto his heart and squeezing slightly. He tilted his head to the side as he watched the confusion and fear on the man's face about his gruesome death.

The hunter struggled to breathe as Cassius decided he would find that designer and get him to make a bunch of limited edition suits made only for him. He clenched his hand by accident, and the heart burst in the man's chest. Cassius blinked before sighing and pulled his hand back out, wiping it on the handkerchief he took out from his pocket.